VISIT-TS: A multimedia tool for population studies on tic disorders

Abstract

Population-based assessment of Tourette syndrome (TS) and other tic disorders produces a paradox. On one hand, ideally diagnosis of tic disorders requires expert observation. In fact, diagnostic criteria for TS explicitly require expert assessment of tics for a definite diagnosis. On the other hand, large-scale population surveys with expert assessment of every subject are impracticable. True, several published studies have successfully used expert assessment to find tic prevalence in a representative population (e.g. all students in a school district). However, extending these studies to larger populations is daunting. We created a multimedia tool to demonstrate tics to a lay audience, discuss their defining and common attributes, and address features that differentiate tics from other movements and vocalizations. A first version was modified to improve clarity and to include a more diverse group in terms of age and ethnicity. The result is a tool intended for epidemiological research. It may also provide additional benefits, such as more representative minority recruitment for other TS studies and increased community awareness of TS.

The New Tics study: A Novel Approach to Pathophysiology and Cause of Tic Disorders

“…We developed software to facilitate recording of the timing of tics during the TSP, and to automate delivery of rewards under the DRO and NCR conditions, and have made it freely available [134]. Some of the participants in this study signed a separate consent to let their video recordings be used for the "VISIT-TS," which is a video-enhanced screening instrument to ask people if they (or their children) have tics after showing them a 5-minute video with nearly 100 video clips of tics [135].…”